Why Is Love A Crime?
by Tetsuhana
Summary: When two people love each other they shouldn't have to fear being discovered, so when a pirate loves a marine, why is it a crime, why does it have to be punished? Smoker x Ace


Why Is Love A Crime?

Rune Alchemist Kaori

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, in any way.

A/N: I wrote this during a break in my classes… I had no idea where it was going until I got there. This is basically a drabble, it's just slightly longer than usual. Feedback would be appreciated.

* * *

Ace leaned against the back wall of his cell and let out a sigh. It was quite a mess he had gotten into. All this had happened, just because he had fallen for a marine. He wondered silently to himself why it was such a crime to be in love. He heard familiar steps on the stone floor coming towards his cell. He closed his eyes feigning sleep, maybe he would be left alone.

Captain Smoker looked through the bars of the cell where Portgas D. Ace sat, apparently sleeping. He frowned. He hadn't meant for this to happen. It had been nearly a month now since that fateful day. For almost 3 months before that Ace had continually come to see him; no matter where he had been Ace had found him.

* * *

"_Yo," Ace said, sitting in the corner of Captain Smoker's quarters. The marine stared at the young pirate._

"_What are you doing here Portgas?" he growled as he moved towards him._

"_I was bored," Ace replied, moving away from the Marine, knowing that thoughts of capturing him were going through Smoker's mind. Smoker received a quick kiss on the cheek before Ace was gone._

* * *

_The second and third encounters were similar, but by the fourth encounter Smoker had become rather used to Ace's presence. Ace would just appear occasionally and by the fourth visit he would offer Smoker a drink. The Captain had all but waved the white flag towards capturing the young pirate and accepted the drink. They passed the bottle back and forth until it was gone and Ace again left Smoker with a kiss on the cheek before he was gone._

* * *

_And so it went on. Ace would show up with a bottle of alcohol, and they'd pass an hour or two in mostly silence, just drinking. It wasn't until this had been going on for about a month that one night Ace had drunk a little too much and he ended up sitting in Smoker's lap, snuggled up against his chest._

"_I love you…" he whispered. The marine, who was not quite as drunk, but close, blinked down at the pirate in his lap. He looked confused and for the first time, he tilted Ace's head up and initiated a kiss. Ace giggled and nuzzled against Smoker's neck. Smoker shook his head._

"_You're drunk," he said, ruffling the boy's hair somewhat fondly._

"_Can I stay with you tonight?" Ace asked, his words slurred and sounding a little sleepy._

"_If you're not gone by morning you'll be going to jail," Smoker told him gruffly, which was his way of telling him he wanted him to stay. Ace just nodded._

* * *

_And so something new had risen in the two very different people. _

* * *

"_Ah… Smoker…" Ace's face was flushed as he felt strong hands on his body._

"_Shh… be quiet, if someone hears you I will personally strangle you," Smoker growled. Clothing was scattered everywhere in the Captain's quarters. Ace bit his lip trying to be silent as he felt kisses being placed on his body. His body jumped._

"_Nya! Smoker… please… " Ace looked a little shy. Being… well…._Ace,_ he wasn't used to being bottom for someone. Just the same, he enjoyed it, and he found himself falling deeper and deeper in love with the marine captain. _

* * *

Smoker sighed as he looked at the sleeping figure of his lover. It had all been a big mistake. He never should have allowed Ace to be with him. Now the boy was stuck behind bars, and it was his fault. Almost one month ago Ace had come to see him, looking frightened and nearly in tears.

* * *

_Smoker walked into his quarters, pretty much expecting to see his lover there. He had no sooner closed and locked the door that the young pirate had practically thrown himself at him, holding onto him tightly. He knew Ace was more emotional than he was, and that the boy liked to be very open with his emotions, but this was a bit much, even for him. It wasn't a sexual, _I need you_ kind of embrace. It was the kind that a frightened child would give to its parent._

"_Ace?" Smoker looked down at him, tilting his hat back and his head up so he could see him. He swore for a moment he saw a tear rolling down Ace's cheek. This concerned the captain. He knew Ace was stronger than that. He'd never seen Ace cry in the entire time he'd known him. He brought his arms around the pirate._

"_What's going on?" he whispered softly, concern in every syllable. _

"_Save me…" Ace whispered, his body trembling. Smoker raised an eyebrow. _

* * *

Ace had proceeded to tell Smoker that Whitebeard had discovered about his relationship with the marine and demanded to know everything that Ace knew about him. Ace had come to know a lot about Smoker, but he wasn't able to betray him. His heart hurt just thinking about it.

_Ace looked resolutely up at his lover, not even a trace of his usual grin on his face._

"_Take me into custody…" he said firmly. Smoker blinked._

"_You can't be serious," he said, "Are you drunk again?"_

"_I'm very serious," Ace said, "I'd rather have a humane death from the marines than face what's waiting for me if I go back to Whitebeard. But I can't betray you…"_

_Smoker just stared at the boy in front of him. He couldn't explain the pain that he was experiencing looking at him, thinking of what he had to do._

* * *

Smoker had obeyed Ace's wish, but rather getting the "humane death" that he had wanted, Ace was now stuck in a cold cell, and interrogated regularly. Ace didn't want to betray his family, the Whitebeard pirates, any more than he was able to betray Smoker. He refused to tell the marines anything of his captain or the crew, and so he had sat in this cell for a month now, with little to no hope of rescue.

"Ace…" Smoker whispered, looking at the boy, still feigning sleep. His voice was slightly tight and ace couldn't ignore it. He looked up at his lover and slowly stood to his feet.

"Something you want?" Ace asked, his hands on his hips. He had lost some weight and his pants hung loosely on his hips. Smoker's eyes moved down over Ace's body, remembering how his hands used to move over that warm flesh. He shook himself from his memory and unlocked the cell, coming inside. He closed it behind himself and looked at Ace without the impediment of the bars. Smoker's arms came around the young pirate, holding him against his body. Ace sighed, leaning into the embrace.

"I never meant for this to happen to you," Smoker whispered.

"Why can't they just execute me?" Ace whispered, "I'm tired of sitting here… I'm not telling them anything. Besides, _if_ I told them about Whitebeard and _if_ that for some reason that made them let me go, I'd never be safe and I'd just die by another pirate's hands anyway."

Smoker let out a shaky breath. He'd been hoping that maybe Ace would yield and tell the marines what they wanted to know, and then they could be together, but he saw now that that wasn't going to happen.

"Smoker… can't you make them speed things up?" Ace asked softly, his head resting on Smoker's chest; he could smell the smoke from the man's cigars, but it was a pleasant, soothing smell to him, "Please? You love me… don't you?"

"I do," Smoker whispered, and kissed the young pirate sweetly before he left. The next day Portgas D. Ace, got the humane execution he'd been waiting for, on orders from Captain Smoker.

* * *

A/N: Like I said above, I didn't know where this was going so I ended up crying when I wrote it.


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